What's it really like?

Welcome to UTS's state of the art clinical laboratories. Class begins with our nursing students being invited into the lab by a member of the clinical teaching staff. Let's follow along.

Our laboratories are designed to mimic real world clinical practise so students can build the confidence necessary to treat future patients expertly. Students practise their skills on a selection of mannequins, part task trainers and at time they even get involved in role play scenarios, sometimes playing the patient themselves.

Most clinical laboratory spaces at UTS have a control room attached where academic and technical staff control, monitor and assess a student's engagement with our high fidelity mannequins. Students are examined on their skills in reaction to a number of scenario based assessments.

Our students have access to the supportive practise laboratory, a learning environment exclusive to UTS. Within this space, students practise any clinical skill of their choosing with a clinical facilitator under a guided practise approach.

UTS is Australia’s top ranked young university and ranked 1st in Australia for Nursing and Midwifery. We’re looking forward to welcoming you at our Health faculty!

Tijana: [00:00:04] Hi, welcome to UTS Faculty of Health and welcome to our tour of the Moore Park precinct. This facility was built in partnership with Rugby Australia, Sydney Cricket and Sports Ground Trust.

Jesse: [00:00:15] Here at Moore Park, UTS, we're extremely lucky to be surrounded by elite high performance sports, such as rugby league, rugby union, cricket and AFL. Let's come and look inside and see what's available here at UTS for Sport and Exercise students.

Tijana: [00:00:32] Our first stop is one of our two exercise physiology teaching labs.  Both of these labs have rowing ergometers, cycle ergometers and treadmills for practical learning. They also have technology for v02 max testing, lactate threshold and blood ph.

Jesse: [00:00:47] Now we have arrived in the biomechanics teaching lab. In our biomechanics classes, we use these computers here for interpretation of movement analysis data that has been collected in the biomechanics research lab upstairs. This room also allows for force plate demonstrations in class, and more.

Tijana: [00:01:01] We have a number of these general teaching spaces for tutorials. Most tutorials for Sport and Exercise students are held at Moore Park, while some are held at the city campus, and some online. As you can see, we have a number of flat screen TVs available for students to plug in laptops to work on group assignments during class.

Jesse: [00:01:21] The sports hall is also on this level.

Jesse: [00:01:29] This is a versatile space used for teaching, performances, events or indoor sports, such as basketball, netball and volleyball. The change rooms and showers are just outside. And as students, we can use this space when it's not being used for teaching.

Tijana: [00:01:45] Now we're in the resistance training room. This is where Sport and Exercise students get practical experience, supervising and prescribing exercise. We also learn the fundamentals of coaching and performing power and Olympic lifts.

Jesse: [00:01:57] Now let's go look at the research labs.

Alana: [00:02:04] Hi there. This is the first of the Sport and Exercise research labs. This is the exercise physiology and biochemistry research Lab. It's equipped with treadmills, a range of exercise bikes and devices that assess physiological responses to exercise.

Zoi: [00:02:21] Now let's come through to the environmental lab. So this is a special sealed room that controls temperature and humidity, and that way researchers can investigate the effects of the environmental conditions during athletic performance.

Zoi: [00:02:34] This is a biomechanics research lab.

Alana: [00:02:36] Using technology that digitises movement, researchers can measure the impact of speed and other forces placed on the body during exercise. There's a lot of high-tech equipment like the Biodex machine, which can be used to identify and document physical impairments that can be used for pre-season screening, injury prevention and performance enhancement.

Alana: [00:02:54] There are motion and force plates in the ground, which are used for gait and motion analysis, kinesiology, ergonomics, as well as sport and performance analysis. 2D and 3D motion analysis cameras digitise movement so that researchers can analyse gait, sport performance and skill performance.

Zoi: [00:03:12] So this is a skill acquisition and motor control research lab. So in here, this is a flexible space that can be used in a variety of ways in order to measure and develop perceptual-cognitive skills for high performance athletes and officials. Depending what you're using this room for, we have a running track, a vision projection wall and 3D motion analysis technology.

Zoi: [00:03:34] Head cameras and eye tracking glasses are used by researchers to understand how athletes move and interact.

Zoi: [00:03:41] This room is sometimes set up with drum kits, and that way we can test an athlete's coordination and decision making skills when on field. We in class, have in fact used these drum kits so that we can solve coordination problems.

Alana: [00:03:55] This special room is the body composition lab. In here is the dual energy X-ray or DEXA machine. It measures athletes' bone density, muscle and fat content, providing an assessment of body composition that feeds into both health and performance outcomes. Now let's head upstairs.

Tijana: [00:04:17] So we've reached the top floor. Up here and more classrooms, student meeting areas, a student lounge and kitchen.

Jesse: [00:04:25] And this is our final stop, the rooftop terrace.

Jesse: [00:04:30] Out here this open-air running track is used for practical assessment of speed and acceleration of athletes. Up here we also have expansive views of the Sydney skyline, including the UTS Tower building.

Tijana: [00:04:38] Well thanks so much for joining us on our tour. We hope you've enjoyed this insight into being a Sport and Exercise student at UTS.

Jesse: [00:04:44] We'll see you at UTS soon.